Irregardless and The Like
by OddlyOptimistic
Summary: Short little thing, Bleaker pays Juno a visit.


"Ugh, again??" i frustratedly said under my breath as i rubbed the sore on my hand that looked like it could bleed at any moment. I swore under my breath and slammed the guitar on my bed, carefully avoiding the floor for obvious reasons. I picked up the recently snapped string and threw it along with the guitar. I sat next to the guitar and gently patted its body, "Sorry.." I sputtered awkwardly.

"Puppy!" I heard my mom call me from downstairs, "Time for dinner!" I groaned at the use of her nick name (or pet name as she liked to so quaintly put it, pun intended) for me. Sure i was spiteful about it, but what teenager wouldn't be? "You know what you should call her?" I heard Juno's voice ring out in my head, "Calf! haha get it? cuz she's a cow!" I laughed now, but then I had gulped and taken another hit of Tic-Tac. Yeah, that's the stuff.

"Be right down mom!" I shouted. I quickly found a replacement string for my guitar and tuned it up before slinging it on my back and walking downstairs.  
After a repulsively unsatisfied meal, I walked out into the brisk October air, guitar on back, and straddled my bike. The sun was going down and i knew Juno would be mad...although she never stayed mad for more than a few seconds. At me anyway.

A lot of people would assume that if two people have a baby at such a young age, it would tear them apart. Not if it's the right person. I think Juno is that right person. This only brought us so much closer together, and although it may sound odd, I'm actually glad this happened. June and I never would have found this connection without it happening. And even though it was a year ago when she had him...I still keep thinking back to that day in the hospital room, laying next to Juno, and feeling her tremble out of pain, fear, anxiety, and D all of the above. Feeling her heartbeat and knowing for the first time in just short of 9 months that everything was going to be ok.

I got to Juno's house at around 6:30 and started walking up to her door. I felt a chill so i zipped up my jacket, quite foolishly, knowing full well that i would be inside momentarily. I knocked on the door with stiff fingers and shifted my weight from foot to foot. Brenda answered. I opened my mouth to speak and she just had that trademark quirky smile on and turned around and called out, "Juno! Paulie's here"

"BLEAK!" I heard Juno cry out and tear down the stairs, wrapping me in a hug that knocked me back out the door i had just recently entered. I felt nervous that i would fall on my guitar, but she was careful not to knock me over. She kissed me briefly and i saw Brenda's eyes roll playfully as she smiled and laughed.

June led me to her room and immediately picked up her guitar. "So what's on the agenda for today?" she asked, not taking her eyes of the frets as she fingered a G chord (our favorite)  
"I dunno," I wheezed, taking a moment to cough, "We could work on that new song, what was it...Sunshine on Rooftops"

Juno smiled, "Yeah i like that one, plus it needs some fine-tuning in the bridge." So we practiced for about two hours. Then we put down our guitars and didn't break each other's stare. I stood up from my perch leaned against the wall on her floor. Her eyes still locked me in a tempting gaze, she shifted her knees together and bit her lip. I took a slow step forward and laid a hand on the back of her neck and stood her up. I looked down at her as she wrapped two arms around my head and drew me towards her.

Goosebumps traveled down my spine as my knees got week. I felt her warmth in front of me and it seemed as though i was floating in a stream of bliss, one that had a mouth that opened into a gulf of serenity. I pulled her away from me and wrote those words down in her lyrics book, then i continued to kiss her, only after she had put on an old Iggy Pop record. as Blah-Blah-Blah played we shared a kiss that was both seemingly endless and far too short. Just when we started to get into it my cell phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered as Juno begged with puppy-dog eyes for me to hang up "Paulie, it is eight thirty!" I heard my mom say through the cell phone's considerably cheap speaker. Juno rolled her eyes and mouthed the words "Carole" as she laid on the bed and started to toss a ball in the air. "You have to study for your upcoming tests!" I agreed and told her I'd be home soon even though I had no tests soon. I hung up and looked at Juno. She already knew. She sat up and kissed me just like before. It was all i could do to pull away.  
"Good night, June, I'll see you tomorrow"

"You bet, Bleak, don't hurt yourself on the way out," she said, smirking, referring to a time when i turned only to run directly into the door frame.  
"Yeah..that's funny," I replied dryly as i turned, only to, take a guess, have an unfortunate accident involving door frames. Juno's laughter could be heard down the street.


End file.
